


i'm not yours to play with

by wheeinswolf



Category: Dreamcatcher (Korea Band)
Genre: Blood, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Mainly angst, Oops, Vampires, descriptions of death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:22:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24861508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wheeinswolf/pseuds/wheeinswolf
Summary: It had always accompanied her. The ticking served as a constant reminder of its overbearing presence. A still, yet unnerving, observer simply hovering near her for no apparent reason whatsoever. It brought as much comfort as confusion and unease. Always had.
Relationships: Kim Bora | SuA/Lee Siyeon
Comments: 25
Kudos: 64
Collections: Deukae Vampire Ficfest 2k20





	i'm not yours to play with

Tik. 

Tok.

"I want to be famous when I'm older." 

Siyeon wistfully looked into the faraway distance, watching orange meet blue, melt into pinks and yellows as the sun slowly closed in on the horizon, disappearing behind crashing waves and bypassing seagulls. The sight entranced her, always had. As cliche as it was, even for a ten-year-old, the spectacle playing high in the sky every time day turned into the night was the most beautiful thing, in her opinion. It wasn't quite the most beautiful sight her eyes had ever perceived per se, that prize would forever belong to Bora, but it was close.

She turned to watch her, Bora, as her short feet dangled off of the cliffside, same as Siyeon’s own, longer ones. They sat close to each other, had been nearly inseparable since the early years when Bora had acted as a cushion for Siyeon's clumsy self to fall on. That encounter at the playground had been the fundament for a strong friendship that would bring many more potentially health-threatening ideas. Despite the original hurt and anger on Bora's side, they had quickly grown into a well-attuned team.

Bora truly was the most beautiful being.

Especially now.

The soft orange light shimmered on her skin, her cheeks flushed in bright pink as she felt Siyeon's gaze on herself. Her dark eyes were speckled with golden dust, drawing Siyeon in more than the setting sun. Siyeon had caught herself analyzing, watching Bora’s features. For years now, the other girl had fascinated her. The pure comfort and happiness that just seemingly oozed out of her wherever they went was almost addicting to her.

She leaned closer, wrapping her arms around Bora's midriff and laid her head on her shoulder, snuggling into her side, searching for warmth.

"You will be," Bora's whisper was quiet, as to not disturb the peaceful silence, but firm, the shorter girl truly, fully believing in what she had said.

"Do you really think so?"

"If not you, who else," the perfectly sharp nose pointed towards her now, no longer looking at faraway mysteries, "You're funny and you're always the best in class, you're smart. People need that to be famous, right?"

"Hmm, I think so? I don't know what makes you famous."

"Money I think."

"Wouldn't it be fame technically," Siyeon giggled into Bora's neck and sighed in relief, exhaustion from their trek to the spot slowly overcoming her.

She had never been that much into exercise, not when she was 5 and most certainly not now, at double that age. Observing had always been her preference, while she did have fun running around with other children, yelling and laughing, she had always been more preoccupied with just watching and possibly helping, wondering what they were thinking and feeling. 

If they saw and felt 𝘪𝘵 as well.

"Whatever happens I'm sure you will be in books, go down in history."

"I'd like that."

The seagulls sang in the distance, flying over the canvas the universe had painted on, creating momentary specks of white and gray over the ocean sparkling with as rich a palette as it's mirrored image above. The faint, warm breeze as well as the relatively rhythmic sound of waves crashing against the rocks a few meters under their dangling feet slowly lulled her to sleep. Bora's shoulder was too comfortable, the scene to peaceful, her body too tired. 

"You're amazing, Siyeon, you'll change the world."

"We will."

Bora huffed, hitting the arm Siyeon had slung around her midriff but smiled, continuing to look out at the wild ocean stretching out over the curving earth. Siyeon shifted around a bit, getting more comfortable on Bora's somewhat bony shoulder. She caught the hand Bora had hit her with and began playing with her fingers, softly pinching at the skin from time to time, fully immersed into her preoccupation. She grinned wildly, nose scrunching and teeth showing, when Bora leaned into the hug, nudging her head against Siyeon's. 

No matter what she saw, what she imagined would happen, Bora always stood by her side, her companion, the one person on earth she truly trusted. Siyeon pulled herself even closer, fully leaning into the smaller girl and let out her last sigh, losing consciousness, and fell asleep on her best friend's shoulder, dreaming about the future. 

The ever-present ticking followed her into her dreams.

Tik. 

Tok.

"Be my girlfriend!"

Siyeon dropped her phone onto her nose when she heard Bora's sudden outburst, the girl flying through the door, having run up to Siyeon's room. Her hair swung around wildly as she slowly stepped closer, one of her socks only half-way on as she must've taken her shoes off in a hurry. Siyeon sat up a bit, shifting her weight onto her elbows as she peeked up from beneath her blanket, still somewhat sleepy even as the sun rose higher and higher into the sky. She lazily wiped at her eye, yawning when she saw Bora's wide grin. Her nose hurt, something seemingly pulsating under her skin from the pain. 

"Was that a question or a demand?"

Bora still stood close to the doorway, tapping her chin with her finger as she pretended to ponder the question. Her other hand was firmly planted onto her hip, cockily canted to the side. She clicked her tongue and excitedly breathed out as her eyes shone with happiness. By now her grin stretched so far, Siyeon nearly worried her mouth would fall off of her face. She snickered at the image in her head.

"Both. I'm amazing, it'd be your loss," Bora looked up and leaned her head onto the fingers of her outstretched hand, trying to look innocent.

Siyeon leaned back in her bed, closing her eyes as a small smile graced her lips.

"Now that claim I'll have to do some research for, truly compare my options before making a final decision," she barely suppressed her laughter, "Yes, yes, I'll have to test whether I'm willing to take that risk."

Bora couldn't take it anymore and jumped into the bed next to Siyeon, instantly clinging onto the taller girl as she so often did. She supported her weight on her forearms, shifting so she could free her hand to poke Siyeon's nose over and over again.

"Just say yes," she underlined each word with a poke, causing Siyeon to both flinch and sneeze from the ticklish feeling, "We've pretty much been dating for the past two years and I will not go into my twenties as a lone queen."

"So you wish to make me your queen?"

"Never," Bora gasped, slapping her hand onto her chest and put on an exaggerated offended expression, "You're my maid I'll never let cook because my kitchen is dear to me."

"Nobody beats my instant ramen," Siyeon waved her finger in front of Bora's eyes, nearly expecting the smaller girl to try and bite down on it.

"Yeah you're right with that I won't lie."

Bora relaxed and looked down at Siyeon, gingerly reaching out to brush stray strands of hair out of her face, allowing her fingertips to first brush over the high cheekbones and slowly travel down to Siyeon's lips, her thumb lingering. Siyeon quietly gasped when Bora's thumb ghosted over her lip, slightly parting them as her ever so intense eyes nearly devoured her.

"Be my girlfriend, Siyeon."

"Okay."

She happily sighed into the following kiss, tilting her head so she could taste Bora's lips more comfortably. It was soft, simply soft, and delicate as had been the other rushed kisses they had shared in the shadows, as curious teens. Siyeon sneaked up a hand to hold the back of Bora's head, tugging her even closer to herself, ignoring how her elbow painfully pressed into her stomach. They kissed for a while, Bora nipping at Siyeon's lower lip with her teeth from time to time, laughing loudly when the latter exclaimed in shock. And yet, she would never get enough of the way Bora felt against herself.

"I almost thought you were going to answer thank you," Siyeon said teasingly.

Bora lightly hit Siyeon's shoulder, still halfway lying on top of Siyeon, her head comfortable on her blanket-covered chest. Siyeon grabbed her hand, pinching and rubbing it as she had always done.

"I can do that in another way," Bora smirked up at her, leaning closer to Siyeon's head only to press a feathery kiss against her jaw, linger for but the fraction of a moment, and slowly press a second kiss against her throat, "if you want."

A splutter of cut off words and barely pronounced noises left Siyeon as she nearly choked on her saliva. She had frozen like a deer in headlights, mouth falling open as she stared at Bora with eyes wide from surprise. The hand holding Bora's small finger had opened as she quickly waved in front of her face.

"You look so cute," Bora drummed her fingers on Siyeon's belly, "And more like a fish than a wolf."

"Get off me elephant, you're crushing my rib cage."

"Excuse you I'm as graceful as a bird."

Siyeon's lips quirked when Bora slapped her belly in retaliation before plopping back down next to her, leaning her head under Siyeon's.

"As small as one as well."

Bora sighed into the crook of her neck and she was no longer able to stop her laughter. 

It nearly overshadowed 𝘪𝘵.

Tik.

Tok.

"I will be gone for a while, maybe a month or so," Siyeon huddled closer to Bora, the two of them lying under the moonlit sky, staring up at the many stars twinkling in the distance, "My family is planning some old traditional trip or something."

"I guess 22 is a special age. I'll miss you. Come back to me soon, will you, Siyeon?"

Siyeon's heart clenched when she saw Bora's uncertain eyes look up at her, the girl biting her lip with badly concealed worry. At that moment, Siyeon got the feeling that Bora knew, somehow. Knew about her family, about the clock, about simply everything. It was impossible, but the wise eyes of her girlfriend begged to differ. Siyeon engulfed her in yet a tighter hug, swinging her leg over the other girl's legs and peppered her cheek with kisses until Bora's frown turned into a relaxed smile once more. Siyeon held onto her, unwilling to let go anytime soon, trying to ward her from the dangers of the world. 

"We should do this more often."

Siyeon's whisper was pained. The stars twinkled impossibly beautifully above their heads and in that moment she truly felt timeless. As timeless as she would in but a few days.

"I'm sure there will be enough time," Bora turned to kiss the tip of her nose, "To grow old together and all that."

Tears sprung to Siyeon's eyes when she heard Bora's words, spoken so softly and warmly under the starry sky. She knew it wouldn't happen, knew that soon enough she would have to take on the family's gift that would freeze her time forever. A fleeting glance at the clock told her so much, had told her since ever. While the small string connected to Bora displayed a quickly running timer, the numbers changing fast enough for Siyeon to be unable to decipher them, her own was clear as day. Hers was one of few she could read, she could truly understand. 

A simple number, a single, bright one connected right to her heart. 

She had wondered what it meant at first. Seeing close to every person out in the world and their varying numbers had been confusing, especially after knowing each of her relatives sported the same bright red one. Their time was frozen but at the same time would instantly run out, should the timer start again. It was destined to be frozen from the second she was born.

It was why she had no choice but to comply.

If she didn't, she'd lose Bora and everything else now and forever.

And yet everything within her hated the idea of leaving. 

"I suppose there will be."

Bora noticed her glassy eyes. Siyeon had never been able to hide from her, the other girl immediately picking up on her changing moods, always offering support, offering warmth.

"Hey don't be sad, we'll see each other again soon enough," Siyeon flinched a bit when Bora's small hand reached up to wipe a tear from her cheek, "I'm sure you'll have fun on your trip."

She had never truly learned how to read the numbers. As much as she loved playing with numbers, as much as it had become one of her favorite things to do she had never cracked the code behind the timers. She knew, for some reason, that they were running down, she instinctively knew they portrayed the respective person's time, but she had never found out just how much. Only the red one made sense.

All Siyeon could stare at, was the dangerously low number connected to Bora.

All she could hear was 𝘪𝘵.

Tik.

Tok.

"Siyeon, my dear," Siyeon felt her head would soon explode as she stared into the bright red eyes of her mother, "How do you feel."

"Like somebody just sucked all blood out of me."

"Yes, I," she rapidly nodded, cradling Siyeon's face with her ice-cold hands, "I suppose that is to be expected."

Siyeon groggily reached to press against her temple, hoping the touch would ease the booming headache that had exploded behind her eyes the second she came to. Instead more pain greeted her, the feeling of something razor-sharp cutting into her forehead flooding her senses. Her eyes flew open in shock, staring at her blood-covered fingers. 

It was her own.

Her usually manicured but short nails had grown into proper claws, extending from her fingers for about a centimeter and strong enough looking to damage even the hardest surfaces. She turned her hand around, inspecting the new physique of her nails up close. A weird urge to lick the blood off of her fingers arose within her and she gingerly poked her tongue between her lips, letting its tip slowly swipe over her middle-finger.

It tasted good enough for her to moan in pleasure.

She reached out to clean her hand from the remaining blood, only now registering the painful hunger gnawing at her from inside. Or was it thirst? She wasn't quite able to decipher the need, the line between the two blurry all of a sudden, almost as if their definitions no longer made sense to her. Her tongue barely touched her finger again, collecting some of the cold and dark blood, when her mother gripped her wrist, tugging it away from her mouth.

"Stop that."

Siyeon raised her brow, somewhat confused at the statement. Was a vampire not supposed to consume blood?

"We have fresh blood, drink that instead of this."

"Okay."

The pounding in her head wouldn't stop. Everything was too much. She heard the wood around her breathe, smelled the dust on the ground as well as her mother's overbearing perfume. It stung, bad enough for her to believe her nose would soon begin bleeding from the pain. She blinked, trying to ignore the bright light surrounding her.

"Could you please pull the blinds, mom," she was surprised at the sob accompanying her words, "It's too bright."

"Oh Siyeon," her mother whispered and cradled her face, "The blinds are down, there is barely any light in here. It'll get better soon, I promise."

"Okay."

Her mother's voice, once a sound capable of instantly calming her, reminded her of glass scratching against concrete or that specific shrill shriek of nails against chalkboards. She cowered, hiding her face within her hands. 

"Make it end mom, please."

Siyeon whimpered, her sobs echoing through the room as her mother slowly, quietly stood up. She flinched when she heard her footsteps, the noise to her more of a booming thunder than a dull thump. Fabric shifted and the smell of something incredibly sweet invaded her nose. Surprisingly enough she didn't flinch away, rather inched closer with her eyes still closed and hidden away.

"Here. It's not as good as fresh blood but it will help ease your pain for now."

Siyeon greedily accepted the vial, emptying it in three quick gulps, nearly spilling some of the precious liquid. She gasped and licked first her lips, then the area surrounding her mouth, careful to catch even the last, small drop hiding away from her.

Despite her mother's claims, her hearing had but increased in accuracy. She no longer was aware of only the live wood surrounding her but heard her father's impatient footsteps on the grounds outside, the grass crunching under his feet with every new run of the motion. 

Something else invaded her mind, taking up more and more space.

A heartbeat, weak and unnaturally slow.

It was close-by. 

She opened her eyes by a fraction to wordlessly stare at her mother. Someone was locked in their basement and by the sounds of it, was rather close to death. The repetitive beat of their heart resonated within her to the point it felt as if it was her own, as if her now cold heart had restarted once more. Deep down she knew what the person was there for. The rapid ticking of the clock made it all the more obvious. 

The familiar heartbeat reminded her of 𝘪𝘵.

Tik.

Tok.

"Bora," she gasped when she realized just who the one in their cellar was.

"Jesus fucking christ Siyeon what is going on?" 

She looked so untypically wild and unkempt Siyeon barely recognized her. Bora's hair stuck out in wild angles with dirt and blood splattered onto the now dull, reddish hair. 

Siyeon didn't know how to react when she noticed the clock running wildly, its hands spinning around the centerpiece faster and faster as Bora's time seeped out of her soul. The more she waited the more the wisps of color surrounding the clock reached out, hungrily lapping at Bora's skin, burning her both with heat and cold. Siyeon didn't know what to do but stare and watch as she could feel Bora's time slip between her fingers, the clock, hovering above Bora's shoulder and emitting a faint red glow, turned fast, too fast. Her seconds trickled by and Siyeon was powerless, unable to do anything but watch as her existence extended on while Bora's slowly disappeared into the void.

"I'm sorry."

Siyeon's whisper echoed throughout the room before it faded, leaving nothing but the sound of Bora's erratic gasps for air and the ever-present ticking infiltrating Siyeon's every pore. Her eyes snapped open when she had a sudden thought, fixating Bora. She kneeled next to her heaving body, holding her up by the shoulders until Bora met her eyes.

“Would you die for me?”

Anger and hurt flashed across Bora’s face.

“Yes, but why the fuck would you ask that now of all times,” Bora barely choked the words out between coughs. 

Siyeon sneaked a look at the shuddering clock, its arms covering more and more of Bora’s body, quite literally eating her up.

“Promise?”

“Is this what it is? Did you and your fucked family grow me like some vegetable, waiting until I’m just the perfect size for you to eat? Jesus fuck and here I thought you actually loved me.”

“I do, you idiot,” Siyeon’s tears were flowing freely, seeing more and more of Bora disappear, her time close to gone.

Staring at Bora's neck all her eyes could see was the spot she would have the bite to finally quench her thirst. She saw her arteries, seemingly pulsating with each contraction of her heart, more and more blood being pumped through Bora's body. Siyeon licked her lips. Her instinct told her those were the ones she was supposed to puncture, the ones carrying fresh, oxygenated blood right from the source. Bora's slowing breathing reminded her why she couldn't. Her eyes shifted, focusing on the larger vein, pumping the used blood back to her heart, instead. She followed it with her eyes, for some strange reason able to clearly view its path right up to the point it reached the right side of her heart.

Siyeon looked back at her neck. She breathed her in, sighing at the familiar smell and bit down, careful not to hurt her too much. When she felt blood coat her tongue she let go, her teeth shrinking back to smaller fangs. 

Her head swam at the taste.

It wasn't the good blood and yet she felt ecstatic. 

She gulped down more and more, sucking the blood in until her mouth was filled before swallowing down. Bora struggled against her hold and even through her blood-haze Siyeon clearly heard Bora's tears break upon impact with the dirty cellar floor. She licked over the wound in a childish hope of soothing Bora's fear and pain and instead replacing it with something she used to find pleasing. Siyeon flicked her tongue out for little cat-like licks, swiping over her skin twice before swallowing three mouthfuls of her blood.

She quickly fell into the routine, slowly but surely emptying Bora of her blood, stealing the source of her life.

Siyeon bit back down when she felt the blood flow slow down and inserted the venom into the remaining stream. She stopped drinking and instead focused on peppering small kisses over the bite-mark as she waited for the venom to react with Bora's blood and soon body.

The heartbeat disappeared. 

All that remained was 𝘪𝘵, the ticking, now slower once more, although seemingly angry, impatient.

Tik.

Tok.

"Hey."

Siyeon smiled down at Bora when she noticed her stirring in her sleep.

"Who are you?"

The question hurt more than it should have. Her mother had warned her about memory loss being rather common for newly turned vampires, especially since it had been the first for her and at such a young age as well. Nevertheless, it hurt to see Bora's confused eyes staring up at her.

They were different. Too different. Still so uniquely and truly Bora but at the same time just alien, new. 

"My name is Siyeon," she whispered, "Don't worry your memories will come back as soon as the pain fades."

At that moment Bora collapsed, writhing on the bed as she clawed at her thankfully bandaged head. She would've ripped her skin open otherwise. Siyeon's heart broke as she watched her. The pain was all too familiar and still present enough for her toes to curl in sympathy as a dull ache lingered within her bones, her ears ringing from Bora's desperate sobs and shrieks. Had she not known better, Siyeon would've believed someone in the process of dying from the sounds alone.

"What is happening to me?" Bora's pitiful voice cut through the otherwise silent room, "I'm so thirsty."

"Here, drink this."

"What is this?"

Siyeon smiled sadly, Bora's mistrust obvious and rather understandable considering she couldn’t remember her.

"Blood."

"It smells so good," pink eyes met her own when Bora whispered, a shaking hand slowly reaching for the filled bottle, "Why?"

"I'll explain everything, I promise. Rest for now."

"I suppose I don't have a choice."

"You don't," Siyeon admitted.

She gingerly reached out to take the now empty bottle from Bora's hands, her fingers firmly wrapped around the plastic. She was surprised by how well the other girl reacted, how calm she was all things considered. But she also knew how angry Bora would probably be once the initial shock passed.

What surprised Siyeon the most, however, was her number. She had expected to be greeted by a red one, the number she by now associated with other vampires. In its place stood an arbitrary number in a pinkish tone, attached to Bora's neck in the same spot Siyeon had bitten her. Instead of changing it had simply frozen, stopped continuing to count down.

She tried to ignore how instead of her heartbeat now the number's pulsing synced up to 𝘪𝘵.

Tik.

Tok.

Siyeon smiled when she remembered that day on the cliffs. The sun blinded her sensitive eyes and she looked to her right, seeing Bora sit at the same spot she had back then. Her hair swayed in the gentle breeze, the sun's last rays catching on some strands, glinting with that typical reddish color only Bora seemed to sprout. It had always looked beautiful to Siyeon, almost as if someone had taken tiny petals and scattered them over Bora's head in an unreadable pattern known to none but the culprit.

She sighed in content when Bora leaned her head onto her shoulder, comfort flooding her senses from the small contact. Her arm instantly wrapped itself around Bora, securely holding her once more. 

Some things would never change. 

The same sky greeted them. So many years had passed and yet the same sky stood proud before them, bleeding into the rolling waves of the ocean underneath. 

Siyeon shivered when the slight breeze crept under her thin shirt. She didn't feel the cold, hadn't for a while, but the sudden flutter of cloth against her lower back had surprised her. Bora snuggled closer, nudging her head against Siyeon's as she so often did when she wanted attention and so Siyeon obliged, softly stroking her side, rubbing her thumb in small circles, over and over again. 

She was warm.

So incredibly warm still.

Siyeon had never understood the warmth emitting from Bora, the smaller girl always having been her personal heater during colder months, never once freezing no matter the number of layers she'd wear. 

It had been strange then, watching Bora leave the house in summery clothes even when snow graced the wooden roofs of their houses, painting the trees and bushes with cotton-like dots of white. No matter the hours spent outside, playing in the cold, Bora would always smile and tease Siyeon for slowly losing the battle against nature, needing to go inside and warm up over a steaming cup of hot chocolate or tea. 

It was even stranger now, after everything, to feel her impossibly still body producing the same heat that seemed to burn hotter with every passing day.

"I wish we had the time to stay here forever," Siyeon whispered, her voice somewhat raspy still, letters grating against each other when she spoke, not yet used to the motion. 

"Time is such a human concept.”

Some things had changed, after all, as was the rule of time, everything followed this impossibly to break flow, always adapting to new influences. 

She didn't agree with all of those influences. 

She liked even less.

Bora had changed. Her one true constant in life had changed. Siyeon's fingers tightened around her midriff, pulling her impossibly closer as she held in a breath filled with sorrow and pain, only to slowly, ever so slowly and subtly breathe it out, hoping to free even as much as a fraction of the pain with it. At first, she had written the differences off to them maturing, time changed things, she was more than aware of that. It was only natural, as many things had changed about her as about Bora, the two of them slowly growing into their bodies, at least until they were stolen the ability to grow. 

“You seem to forget we once were human.”

Siyeon whispered but she didn't know why. No one could hear her admission, nobody to take advantage of knowing their secret. Humans hadn't frequented these lands in a long, very long time. They had abandoned the rural areas, focusing on but a few gigantic cities with metal reaching as high as the moon. Visiting had always been a dream of hers, one she'd never be able to realize with her condition. She barely even remembered what they smelled like, what their cities felt like, what their crafts looked like.

“What are twenty years compared to millennia.”

Siyeon paused to think about the question. The meaning of time hadn't changed, not for her. Not when the constant ticking continuously reminded her of the flow of time, of its universal pace. And especially not when the number twenty held such a special memory. Time was still the same for her. And yet something had shifted, something within Bora. Something possibly even she wouldn't be able to control. And it scared Siyeon. It scared her to think it would be the ultimate difference pulling them from each other. 

The change showed in the small things. Even something as insignificant as her voice was entirely different, almost alien. The way she pronounced the letters, how she tasted them for a while before truly speaking, and how something akin to a hum accompanied her. As if the air around her vibrated with pure energy.

It had been unnerving at first.

The hum nearly overshadowed the ticking Siyeon found so much comfort in. The strum and subtle beats she had both felt and heard since she first knew how to process that type of information. More than once had she been tempted to reach out and see what she could manipulate. 

One of the seagulls calling in the distance brought her attention back to the present and out of the clouds, her mind had begun wandering. She shook her head and blinked, hoping to clear her thoughts enough to be able to hold the conversation. 

“Still twenty years, Bora. They are still twenty years of your time.”

She knew it didn't hold much meaning to Bora. Not anymore. Not after so long. It shouldn't have to her, either. But to Siyeon, every single passing tick meant fear as much as hope.

“Our time is infinite, Siyeon,” she felt Bora’s finger under her chin, tilting her face towards Bora’s, “Time is nothing.”

“You’re wrong,” Siyeon’s eyes wavered when she looked into Bora’s surprisingly clear ones, the pink around her pupil slowly pulsing in unison with 𝘪𝘵𝘴 ticking, “Time is everything.”

Tik.

Tok.

Memories were a jumbled mess for her. 

At least the far, distant ones. 

But vague impressions of colors, some familiar sounds remained from the few years she had spent wandering the earth as a mortal soul.

She would've lied, had she denied a portion of herself reminiscing and missing the past.

But it didn't matter, not anymore.

Siyeon sighed and stood up, stretching her arms skyward as far as her joints allowed. She let them fall back freely, didn't bother to dull the impact as her wrists hit the sides of her thighs, a faint ache settling in the second she actively registered the impact. The noise sounded at once with the clock, her body perfectly synchronized with it.

She looked up, slowly as her neck was stiff from sleeping, and couldn't ignore the shimmering object hovering closeby yet just out of reach. She had always both loved and loathed the sight. Time warped around it, flickers of moments wrapping themselves around the clock before they would either bleed together or simply vanish into the void. The clock ever beat, time running on and on, forever continuing its journey. With every beat a new flash appeared, more colors, more vivid moments disappearing. Even the ones that stayed, the ones that merged, disappeared. They didn't stay pure. They weren't the same.

She had cried when she had found out. 

They were memories. The most important and dear memories of the newly dead, the manifestation of their souls being sucked into the clock that at this point held similarities to a black hole. And yet Siyeon couldn't bring herself to truly hate it. She feared it but also relished in the comfort it somehow brought her. She had used to think Bora was the constant in her life, clinging onto her because of the warmth and comfort she brought her. But she had changed, the clock had not. 

Time was the one true constant in life, the one thing that always would be and couldn't be manipulated. 

For most.

She hadn't tried yet.

Siyeon ran, her clock ever ticking on, the rhythmic beats echoing in her ears, loud and clear, bouncing around her mind in an almost mocking way. Her feet similarly drummed onto the ground, always matching the beat inside her head. 

It was hers.

She knew, somehow, she would be able to touch 𝘪𝘵 if needed without having to face her own demise. After all, there had to be a reason for her to acknowledge it while others didn't.

Tik.

Tok.

The curiosity within her had grown too strong for her to be able to control it any longer. Siyeon looked at Bora, fast asleep next to her, before redirecting her attention to the clock. 

𝘐𝘵 hovered in the air, wavering slightly from the onslaught of memories, of fragments, reaching it with every new beat. 

Siyeon shifted on the bed and crawled closer. For once it didn't inch away and she could look at it up close, observing the intricate carvings in the clock's wood. She admired the way the wrought iron wrapped its corners, strengthening the wood in places with tension. Slowly her fingers inched closer, hesitating when the flickering wisps of color came closer, licking at her fingers with a surprisingly warm touch. She nearly giggled from the ticklish feeling and shifted even closer. Finally sitting next to the entity that had followed her since birth and touching it felt weird. She let her fingertips glide over it, trying to memorize every single imperfection, every single scratch as well as planned cut. 

It was truly a beautiful work of art she couldn't get enough of.

Nearing the lower part of the clock Siyeon touched the many strings attached to it, one by one appearing and disappearing again as she continued her journey. With every new string she touched a shiver ran through her body, almost as if something resisted her intrusion. She knew they were people, every single new shudder running through her fingers representing a living person. 

To her, even the undead counted as living beings.

As long as you were connected to the clock, you existed. You were and the clock had power over you, ruling and controlling your specific time.

She continued her journey, throwing a nervous eye towards Bora before focusing back onto the wood. Siyeon was surprised to feel the center of the bottom hollow, a small hole big enough for maybe two of her fingers to fit in had been carved out. She quickly leaned her head under it, trying to spy inside the hole, to see. All she noticed was a single string hanging out and returning up into the darkness of the clock. She fumbled around some more, hooking her finger into the loop, looking at the only transparent string. Her fingers numbed upon the touch.

A hollow laugh echoed in her mind, bouncing off of the walls and building up into a cacophonous noise that was painful to hear.

It was as if it had its own string, its own number, and timer unseen by anyone. 

And she just had to pull.

So she did.

Tik.

Tok.

"Bora? Bora, you're back!" Siyeon happily exclaimed when she saw the other vampire shudder, immediately reaching out for the small vial filled with a thick, red substance.

"No," Bora laughed, the sound once so comforting and beautiful to Siyeon, now resembling pieces of broken glass scratching over the ground.

Confusion filled Siyeon. Her eyes switched between Bora’s pink ones and her missing string, her missing number.

It wasn't supposed to happen.

Time was the constant, the rule.

She felt the knife before she saw it.

Siyeon couldn't hear her scream. Her mind was numbed, no outer impulses able to break through the blockade the pure shock had built around her. Her world turned dark, the last thing she perceived being Bora, her eyes now void of any color, sclera, and iris both a deep black, cutting her throat open. It burned. It burned like nothing Siyeon had ever felt. The silver quickly entered her bloodstream, rendering her motionless as the undead life slowly seeped out of her in unison with the stolen blood collected in her veins.

Tik. 

Tok.

She was gone before her body hit the ground, coating it with the dark, sticky liquid sitting idly within her veins. Her last memory appeared next to the clock, warped around its entity as all the others did. The betrayal, the image of Bora's knife, the one Siyeon had gifted her exactly 200 years ago, slicing her throat open was the most important memory of hers, imprinted on her mind so strongly it had become her essence.

With every strike of the clock's hands her blood gushed out more until the stream sizzled out into a faint drizzle. Her hands twitched still, fingers jerking and shoulders trembling until but few drops splashed into the pool of dark blood already surrounding her. 

Until she was empty.

Tik. 

Tok.

Bora smiled, gripping the clock only Siyeon had been able to see and manipulate, the very same blood of her girlfriend dripping down her arm and over the clock, down her fingers until it joined the rest on the ground.

Tik. 

Tok.

"I gave you a gift and yet you chose to hurt me instead," Bora licked the bloody knife clean, "You know, I'm not yours to play with."

She stepped closer and lightly kicked the side of Siyeon's hip, testing whether the vampire could move still or had fully vanished. She knew her string was gone, but even she didn't trust them to always convey the truth.

"And yet I have to thank you, Siyeon," Bora grinned, the rows of sharp teeth glinting under the moonlight as she slowly kneeled next to Siyeon's still body, "You gave me true freedom after all."

Her red hair shone and shimmered, waving wildly in the wind, nearly mimicking a burning fire looking around nearby wood for fuel. The grin didn't disappear even as she leaned down to press a kiss on the dead lips underneath her, not minding the blood that now smeared her front as well. She shuddered when the addicting smell reached her, instinctively biting down onto the once plump lips before standing up again.

A small, remaining flash of the girl screamed in mourning when she watched her. She felt her rip at her now living flesh, begging to return and hold her lover, to make the invader disappear. She flicked her finger and it was gone, her time turned back so she was clean, so she was alone once more.

"I'll be sure to mention your name, you'll be famous," the clock firmly gripped in her hand ticked on as she smiled down at her old home.

Tik.

Tok.

The broken pieces of the clock fell onto the ground one by one, the dark blood pooling around Siyeon's dead body coating them in a deep red as Bora's footsteps echoed through the night.

**Author's Note:**

> idk what my brain thought when i wrote this tik tok on the clock hope you liked it. if you have any additional trigger warnings i should add, please tell me so


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